As The Sun Sets
by Aerisse.Hasste
Summary: Set in 2k12'verse. AU. When a walk from their first run goes awry, one brother is injured, and it all goes downhill from there. Their home is in flames, their father missing and all brothers are thrown into a cell by the end of the day.


Chapter 2

Episode 1: Fall of the Turtles

* * *

**Several Days before the Capture:**

"Guys," Leonardo says voice high from excitement, "I think this is it! Master Splinter's finally gonna let us go to the surface!"

His three younger brothers look up from where they are currently lounging; Raphael at the couch reading his magazine, Donatello right beside him tinkering with a broken toaster – courtesy of the combined efforts of both Leo and Mikey – and Michelangelo from the tire swing. The youngest's eyes light up, and he grins widely, "Really?!"

"Really!"

"Really really?"

"Really really really!'

"Really really really really—OW!" Mikey rubs his head, "What was that for?!"

Raphael snorts and merely feeds Spike, who is lying on his shoulder, a leaf while he says, "You were being stupid."

Mikey retorts with a tongue sticking out from his mouth, then turns his attention back to his eldest brother, "So when are we going?"

Leonardo grins, "Tonight."

Had he been given the choice, Leonardo would have waited a year…or, five, before he'd let his brothers go to the surface had he known what was to happen that day.

* * *

"Alright guys, be quiet," Leonardo whispers, making his younger brothers discreetly roll their eyes. He lifts the cover a few scant centimeters of the ground, and then sweeps the area with his eyes before completely removing the manhole cover and climbing up.

The first thing that they see is the cloudless night sky, alight with the silver shine of the moon and several hundred stars surrounding it. (Never mind the fact that said sky had smog littering across its vastness). He hears his youngest brother's breath hitch at the sight, and the blue-banded leader smiles to himself. He motions for them to stay silent. He waits for all his siblings to come out before pointing out a ladder a few scant meters above their own heads.

Donatello's eyes light up and then snaps an eager look at his eldest brother. Leonardo nods and his purple-banded brother immediately jumped to the lowest rung and climb up the ladder with the speed of an eager (mad) scientist. The brothers below share a look as Donatello whips out a telescope all three do not know came from, and starts mumbling as he giggles. Something among the lines of 'night solar power' and several other words that make all three wonder if their brother is still speaking English.

Leonardo chuckles softly, and jumps up to reach the lowest rung with both hands, not unlike his brother before. The blue-banded turtle hangs for a few moments before completely swinging his lower body to the front. His feet land on the wall of the building and he pushes backwards. Below, Mikey and Raphael mumble about 'older bothers' and 'showing off' as Leonardo successfully swings himself to the middle of the ladder to jump the rest of the way.

As his brothers are in the process of getting up there, Leonardo cannot help but feel…concerned when he spots his genius little brother's face slightly flushed and eyes dazed as he pulls the telescope away from his eyes. Leonardo looks from his brother to the rather wide view they had on the building, then his brother, then the open window on the other building, and awkwardly asks, "You…weren't peeping on anyone were you?"

Donatello blushes further, and begins to sputter indignantly just as Raphael and Michelangelo come into view.

"…Donnie's a closet pervert?" Michelangelo wonders out loud, and Raphael snorts before barking out a laugh, or five. Donatello glares at his brothers, specifically Leonardo. Most likely due to the fact that his own brother, one of the guys who he had once shared a room and baths with, was actually considering that—

"Nah," Leonardo dismisses the theory, "I mean, Donnie doesn't even read magazines. All I see him do on the internet is…uh, things that look like formulas and plain text."

"Could be erotica. There are plenty of sites like that, I think," Raphael inputs, and Mikey grins before joining in the fray, "How would you know that?"

The grin never disappears from Michelangelo's face as he cackles and ducks his red-banded brother's lunge. Leonardo watches them with a smile. Donatello takes this chance to discreetly try and spot the red-headed angel he had seen before from the corner of his eye.

He sighs when he finds she is gone, and then turns to face his brothers. Donatello is slightly disconcerted when Leonardo faces him with a strange little grin on his face.

"…What?" he asks, and Leonardo hums under his breath – the Space Heroes opening theme, he remembers – before turning away.

Donatello thinks he has very strange brothers.

(In the background, Raphael has caught up to Michelangelo in is in the process of giving the youngest a wet willy.)

* * *

Ninja have a sort of environmental sense about them; it is something that they have almost naturally. It is somewhat like a sixth sense, in a way. This sense is also, in theory, stronger in beings whose genes and anatomical structure differ from those who are human. Even more so when those beings have come into contact into, say, an alien substance of some kind?

But that is only in theory.

* * *

_"The target is in the area, I repeat the target is in the area."_

* * *

"That was awesome!" Michelangelo cheers as he lands on the sewer floor, "Let's go again tomorrow!"

"If Master Splinter lets us," Leonardo inputs, and after closing the manhole above them, lands beside his brothers.

"Well then we'll have to convince him!" Donatello says resolutely, a grin baring his tooth gap, "I saw a military junkyard on our way home! If I can snag even a single piece of whatever's in there, I could upgrade all our weapons!"

"…Ya sure that's a good idea?" Raphael asks slowly, recalling a certain incident a year ago during his birthday involving exploding sais and confetti. Donatello does not detect the apprehension in his older brother's voice and continues rambling on, giggling, "What should I make first? Multi-shot shuriken? Light saber katanas? Electric sais?!"

"Smoke-bomb-throwing kusarigamas?" Michelangelo suggests with a grin, and Donatello pauses to consider the idea.

"…Why?" he asks, and Michelangelo's grin widens, "Picture this bro," the orange-banded turtle takes out his weapons, "So here I am, surrounded, outnumbered by soldiers and loony scientists, tired and alone," Michelangelo crouches down, faking heaves and somewhat limping one leg, voice deepened. Donatello raises an eyebrow at the scene, as do his two other brothers, "He's really getting into this," Raphael mutters.

* * *

_"Roger, Alpha. Proceed with Operation."_

* * *

"…And now, they're charging at me!" he raises his weapons and darts his eyes left and right, "No way to escape right?...Wrong!" he whips out the blade of his weapon, and the three spectating brothers slowly back away as their youngest twirls the chain overhead, "And then I – GAH!"

Michelangelo slips on sewer water and falls to his shell, his chain landing somewhere in the darkness in front of them. The elders go to their youngest brother, "You okay, Mikey?" Donatello asks.

Leonardo sighs, "We've been here long enough. Mike, pull your chain back here so we can go home. I don't know about you guys, but I really don't want to see Master Splinter angry….or pulling Randori on us as punishment."

All four brothers shudder.

Michelangelo dusts himself off and grabs the edge of the chain. Something sparks in the distance, in the darkness in front of them. Then, continuous crackling, like a live wire putting out energy. Blue sparks light up, then begins to snake its way up to them. All four calmly climb up the dry ledges of the sewers.

Donatello tilts his head to the side – they were safe here on the dry ledge. Without a proper conduit the electricity couldn't…

"Mikey, let go of the chain-!" his warning comes in late.

Leonardo's heart stops in his chest when the blue sparks come and a scream rips from his baby brother's throat. His body is rigid, and Leonardo feels his heart throbbing in his throat when Michelangelo collapses to the ground, convulsing, still screaming.

"Ah…" his minds feels numb; his feet are suddenly glued to the floor, "M…" Leonardo's throat constricts, eyes starting to sting, "M-MIKEY!" his call falls faint under the screaming of his brother. It rips into his ears, grinding into his worry. He does not like the fact that it sounds awfully close to how a human would scream while dying on the television.

* * *

_"Increase voltage, Alpha..."_

_"..."_

_"Don't give me that look soldier, I am well aware that we are murdering, human or not, a child..."_

_"Then why-?"_

_"These are our orders, kid."_

* * *

The blue-banded turtle falls to his knees, "Must stay calm, must stay calm…" he mutters like a mantra.

He must remove his brother's hands from those chains. But he is stopped by two hands gripping his wrists, "N-not yet! W-we have to wait until the electric flow stops!"

He is met by Donatello's wide eyes. Nodding shakily, Leonardo hovers his hands over his baby brother's figure, ready to take him back at a moment's notice.

It takes no less than three seconds later for the electricity to stop, and Leonardo rips the chains away while Raphael takes the orange-banded turtle into his arms, "Mikey, come on you idiot, say something!"

All he receives is a low, agonized groan and Leonardo's stern voice telling him to carry Michelangelo.

"We're going home; top speed."

* * *

_"...Let's go, Alpha. We're done here."_

* * *

"Master Splinter, we need to…" the words on his tongue dry out, and Leonardo's arms fall limply to his side. The back of his throat feels pasty, and his mouth hangs open. He can feel his brothers stop behind him, most likely wearing the same expression as him. He wouldn't see them even if he turned though – the smoke was too dense.

"What…" Raphael breathes out behind him, voice cracking and shaking, "What…happened…?"

Donatello's voice is so small, "…M-master Splinter…?"

Everything is in ruins. What was once their home, what had once been their only safe haven and sanctuary, now reduced to overturned tables, cabinets stripped bare, even from where they were standing, they could see that not a single thing from the lab nor the dojo was saved. Not with the flames licking into them like that, not when the heat crackles, spits, and melts their memories into nothing more than black ash.

Leonardo's vision sways, and he can feel his knees buckle under him. He grits his teeth and slams a fist into the wall. Raphael jumps behind him, and Donatello's glazed eyes focus once more. Leonardo feels his eyes begin to sting – be it because of the smoke or, something else – but he wipes them away nonetheless and barks out, "Raph, carry Mikey on your back. Run somewhere safe. Go back to…to that warehouse we passed by. It looked abandoned enough. Don, y…" his voice cracks, and the blue-banded turtle takes a shaky breath before continuing, "I need you t-to come with me into the fire, to get supplies."

Donatello is shaking, and his skin is clammy despite of the heat and his voice cracks several times as he tried speak. Finally, he opts to shut it and nods his head meekly. However, as they step forward, a loud stomp halts them mid-step.

"HELL NO," Raphael snarls, and almost drops the unconscious figure of his orange-banded brother in the process, "There is no way you guys are going to-"

"It's the only way, Raph," Leonardo begs, and that stops both Raphael and Donatello because Leo does not beg. Not in front of them. Never in front of them. Judging from the almost mortified look on the red-banded turtle's face, his older brother might as well have bowed Dogeza (1) style in front of them.

"Raph, I..."

"...Go," Raphael mutters, and his gaze flickers momentarily to meet his older brother's gaze, "Go," he repeated, "I'll take Mike to the old drainage junction down East. Just...be careful, okay?"

"Okay," Leonardo smiles, "We'll see you there."

* * *

_"This is Omega. Phase 1 completed. Proceed to Phase 2."_

* * *

Author's Notes: (1): to prostate oneself before another

I just want to thank you all for the views, reviews, faves and follows ^^

Also, feel free to point out any mistakes or grammatical errors. With this, Episode 1, Part 1 is done!


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